Fish friends mean comfort for family in domestic violence shelterAnimal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Christina is a domestic violence survivor. She suffered abuse in her home
at the hands of her partner, fearing for her own life and the life of her
five-year-old son, Damien.

When Christina made the difficult decision to escape her abuser, she knew
she would need support to get her whole family out safely.

You see, Damien was very attached to his pet fish, and Christina knew how
much his aquarium friends meant to him. Damien considered the fish his
friends and had named them all after himself, too. Christina knew that
Damien’s fish tank was a source of comfort in the family’s chaotic life and
she was determined to bring the fish along with them, for Damien’s sake.

When Christina found Peace River Center, a domestic violence shelter for
families in Florida, she was relieved to find out that they could accept
pets on-site thanks to a Safe Housing grant from RedRover. Safe Housing
grants provide start-up funds for domestic violence shelters to build
on-site housing for pets, and Peace River Center was awarded the grant from
RedRover last year.

Damien and Christina fled to the shelter with the aquarium in tow and
arrived safely with her family (finned members included).

After
the family was safely settled in the shelter, we received an update from
Sheryl, an advocate at Peace River Center.

Damien took me to see his aquarium and introduced me to
his pets. They were all named Damien! He was adorable, and talked
extensively about being so happy that they could move with them to their new
home.

A RedRover Safe Housing grant made it possible for Christina, Damien and
his pets to remain together in the aftermath of domestic violence. As an
experienced domestic violence advocate who has seen the problems facing
victims and pets, Sheryl told us, “If a pet is able to accompany a survivor
to shelter, it provides safety for all.”

Peace River Center received a RedRover Safe Housing grant in June of
2013, and has since been able to provide shelter for domestic violence
victims and their pets; cats, dogs, turtles and fish have all called the
Peace River Center their temporary home, where the pets have been able to
provide comfort and stability to families fleeing violence.

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